240 THE SECRET OF SAHARA: KUFARA 



massive figure in striped rose and purple silk, with em- 

 broidered blue jacket underneath a gorgeous, many- 

 tasselled kufiya, stiff with gold thread, over his spotless 

 white turban, from which depended the finest silk and 

 wool veil. In delivering the usual Friday speech he 

 asked the prayers and benediction of Allah for the four 

 earliest Caliphs, Abu Bekr, Omar, Othman and Ali, and 

 for twelve other sainted followers and friends of the 

 Prophet. After the prayer a solemn procession, headed 

 by the sons of the Senussi Sayeds, passed in ponderous 

 silence save for the rustling of bare feet on palm mats 

 to the dim inner chamber to salute the qubba of the 

 Mahdi. 



If it be possible for Taj to be more dignified and 

 impressive than usual, it achieves that effect on El 

 Gumma, for all day one catches glimpses between the 

 dark walls of the richly garbed ekhwan moving slowly, 

 silk jerds carefully raised above the sand. After the Asr 

 prayers the deputation of four who had received us, the 

 Judge, Sidi Saleh, Sidi Ahmed es Senussi and Sidi Omar, 

 came to bid us the city's formal farewell, though we 

 were not expected really to leave for several days. The 

 visit was meant tactfully to imply th^t we were now free 

 of official receptions and banquets, though Arab hos- 

 pitality could only be satisfied by privately sending large 

 meals to our house while we remained in Taj. We lured 

 the judge and the portly dignitaries into our sunlit court, 

 but they were terrified at being photographed. We had 

 to treat them like children at the dentist's and keep up a 

 flow of laughing conversation about the painlessness of 

 the operation, while they huddled pathetically together 

 for comfort and support! 



Later in the day we were visited by Hasan and 

 Husein Bazama from Ribiana. Relations of the men who 

 had spread so many false reports about us, they doubtless 



